Radiographic inspection apparatus



Jaim 239 1951 R. G. RHOADES RADIOGRAPHIC INSPECTION APPARATUS Original Filed June 24, 1946 nog, E E@ w E WMZ mw 1 #MZ e 5. F w fw Patented Jan.. 23, l1951 RADIOGRAPHIC INSPECTION APPARATUS Russell G. Rhoades, San Francisco, Calif., as-

signer to Bechtel Brothers McCone Company, a corporation of Delaware Original application June 24, 1946, Serial No.

678,783. Divided and this application December 2, 1946, Serial No. 713,430

(el.l 248-1) `1 Claim.

The present invention relates to the radiographic examination of welds and more particularly to an improved apparatus for radiograph- 1iig circumferential welds in pipe lines and the The object of the present invention is to pro vide apparatus facilitating the carrying out of the radiographing method of my Patent No. 2,412,174 issued December 3, 1946 on my prior application Serial Number 678,783 filed June 24. 1946, of which the present application is a division.

The method described and claimed in the above identied application is carried out by making a relatively small temporary opening in the wall of a pipe line adjacent but spaced from a circumferential weld therein, and utilizing said opening to introduce into the interior of the pipe line a source of radiation; so positioning the latter as to insure a clear path for radiation therefrom to the circumferential weld to be radiographed and through said weld to a film held on the exterior of the pipe over the weld. After the necessary exposure time has elapsed, the radiation source is withdrawn and the temporary opening, which is of only sufficient size to freely admit a holder for the radiation source, is permanently sealed.

The apparatus by which the foregoing object is attained will be best understood from the following description of preferred procedure and apparatus, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a preferred form of apparatus embodying the present invention; the same being illustrated in place on a pipe line;

Figure 2 is a detail view of a portion of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a detail view illustrating a preferred way of sealing the temporary opening referred to herein.

In Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings there is illustrated a portion of a conventional pipe line I provided with the usual covering I! and constructed in sections joined together by circumferential welds such as that illustrated at I2.

According to the method of my invention, a radiograph of any circumferential weld I2 in a pipe line I0, which may extend for many miles, can be made without access to an open end of the pipe line. To facilitate the carrying out of the radiographing method of said invention, there is preferably provided, according to the present invention, apparatus of the character illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 which comprises an orienting device I5 adapted to rest in stable equilibrium on the curved upper surface of a cylindrical object such as a pipe line I. For this purpose the device I5 is preferably made in the form of a plate having four legs I6 by means of which the device may be iirmly and stably supported on the curved surface of a pipe during the period in excess of fifteen minutes required for a complete radiograph exposure.

Secured to the orienting device l5 is a carrier I8 preferably in the form of a tube secured to the orienting device I5 by welding as indicated at I9. The tube I8 is curved as indicated in Figures 1 and 2 and proportioned so that its lower end lies outside of the area which the orienting device I5 overlies when it is disposed in the operating position in which it is shown in Figure 1.

When the apparatus is to be used, a radiation emanating means such as a conventional radium capsule is removably supported at the lower end of the tube I 8 in any desired manner. A convenient supporting device, the detailed construction' of which forms no part of my invention, is illustrated in the accompanying drawing as consisting of a flexible wire 2l the upper end of which is secured to a handle 22 provided with a hooked portion 23 adapted to engage over the upper end of the tube I8. Attached to the lower end of the flexible wire 2| is a spring 24 the lower end of which is in turn connected to a second flexible Wire 25 provided with a hook 26 at its lower end. Removably secured to the lower end of the wire 25 by the hook 26 is a convention'al'radium capsule 21 which is preferably employed as the radiation emanating means in the practice of the present invention, although equivalent devices such as X-ray emanating means are, of course, well known in the art.

The length of the wire and spring assembly 2I, 24, 25 is so proportioned to the length of the tube I8 that when the radium pill 21 is engaged in the open lower end of the tube I8 as shown, substantial tension must be applied to the spring 24 in order to engage the hook 23 over the open upper end of the tube I8. serves to maintain the radium capsule 21 in position at the lower open end of the tube I8.

In carrying out my improved method utilizingjl the above described apparatus, which is knowrif'i in the art as a jig, a temporary opening suchas that illustrated at 3Q in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing is made in the wall of the pipe line at such a distance from the plane of the This spring tension 3 weld l2 as Will bring the radium capsule 21 into the general plane of the weld l2 when the jig is positioned as illustrated in Figure 1 with the tube I8 extending through the temporary opening 30. It is also to be noted that the tube I8 is so positioned with respect to the orienting device l5 that, when the latter is in the stable position illustrated, the radium capsule 21 is substantially on the longitudinal axis of the pipe line. With the device thus positioned, a film 32, which is preferably placed in position before the tube I8 is inserted through the hole 30 and which overlies all of the weld I2 exteriorlyof the pipe line I0, will be uniformly exposed and Will provide a radiograph of uniform density showing all portions of the weld I2.

After the necessary exposure time, determined in a manner well known in the art, has elapsed;V

the tube I8 is withdrawn from the temporary opening 30 by lifting the orienting device l5 preferably by such means as the hooked handle 33 illustrated in Figure l, andthe temporary opening is permanentlysealed by means such as a screw plug 44 (Figure 3) inserted in the opening 3D. and welded in place as illustrated at 45.

What is claimedis:

A jig for positioningradiation emanating ma- REFERENCES CITED The following. references are of record in the le; of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 447,389 Wentworth Mar. 3, 1891 948,872 Clark Feb. 8,' 1910 1,306,953" Fisher June 17, 1919 1,808,709 Blake: June 2, 1931 2,443,591 Bankset al June 22, 1948 

